Improvement in boiler-tube plugs



ERS. FHOTOiITNOGRAPKER, WASHINGTON D, C.

itntrd tatr 'rHoivnAs' 'LA BLANo, or PHILADELPHIA( PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent-No. 111,552,1iated February 7, 1871.

IMPRovEMENT IN BoiLER-TUBE PL-ues.

'lfhe Schedule referred to in thse Letters Patentand making part of the same.

I, THOMASLA BLANC, or the @fryer Philadelphia-and -State ofv Pennsylvania, haveA invented cere tain Improvements in Boiler-Tube Plugs, of which the following is a specification."

The object .ofV theinvention is the vexpeditious plugging of leakytubcs in horizontaler (other .fires tube boilers, ywithout'hauling orIextinguishing the fire, in such a manner .that the engineer or person in charge of the boiler `shall not be subjected to the .danger andtrouble incidental to the usualmode.

I acc'omblislrthe object at the back or further end `of the tube bymeans of a plug madein two pieces, which join each other longitudinally by a wedge.I

shaped joint, so that the pieces may be adjusted in relation to each other to. admit of their freepassage into the tube. And after their insertiom which is easily eiiected from the front end bynleans of connected rod,`the two'pieces are lput in position, one of them being secured lengthwise and force applied'to.

theA front end of the lother which 'forces it overrthewedge-shaped joint, as hereinafter described, so -as to enlarge the diameter of the plug and close the tube.

K When the tube'sare vertically arranged, the connected rod, used for `placing the plugin position, is

provided with au Hadjustable elbow which rests upon t'ne upper side of the top tube sheet.

For closing the frontend of` the tube I use a hollow plug, which admits of' the passageof tbe l .`\eated Vwater and steam contained in the-tube; thesanle passing througnthe plug and from the same at one side, soas to pass. oli' at right angles, without'danger of scalding the person operating the plug; the -opening in the plug also relieving the -end of the latter g of theV greater part of the pressure4 against it and thus admitting ,of an easy closing of' the end of Athe tube. i

'To enable others skilled in the art to which my irnprovemen't appertains. to maken practicable 'application of the same I will. now give a detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawing which make a part of-'this specification*- Figure 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of Aa single boiler-tube A and and` plug C, the tube being in connection with the tube-plates B lB.

' Figure 2 is a bottom view of the plug C.

Figure 3 is a side view of the rammer F.

Figures 4 and5 are views at right angles .to each other of theadjustable arm G. v

.Figure 6 is a `vertical section of the front plug J. Like letters in all the figures indicate the same parts.

A is: a single tube iuconnection with the tubeplates B B iu the usual manner.

O is awoodcn plug, made in two pieces, (t b, which are connected by means of a wedge-shaped joint, as

seen ing. 1', to admit of the contraction of their diametr to-allgw of an easy insertion in the tube A t-o stop the leak at the rear end,'or` at any intermediate point between Athe ends.

' lhe rod'D is adjustable in the piece (t by means "of the screw-thread on ,the front end Vto bring the plug in the right'position in' the -tube vto cover the leak, when the rear end of the rod is brought against the back Vconn ecting-plate,B.

The rod E, which is connected at one end with the lowerv piece a, of the plug, is used tol push the latter into itsproper position in the tube.

The ends of the piece a'aredivergent from the peripheral surface of the `piece and are provided with grooves Ato tit the pins 'd dg'the former of which has one end Atight in the piece l).

The piece d is driven loosely through the groove .inthe front end of 'the piece ct and into a hole in the -piece'b so as to lock the two pieces together to prevent their spreading apart when being placed in the tube.

When the combinedfplug is thus placed in position, as shown in the drawing, the. rammer Fis used to force the piece b toward the the rear end'of the tube, whereby its eulargedend is brought into connection with the piece a. to expand the plugand close the tube,

any suitable position for raxnming plugs `in corner-' tubes.

There is a groove at g in the rammer to admit of its clearing the rod E.

For'plugging the tubes of vertical boilers the plugs areheldin proper position to be tightened by means of the adjustable arm Gr, represeutedin gs. 4 and 5. The arm being placed on the rod E and tightened at its'adjnsted position by means of the set-screw h.

For closing leaks atthe front ends ofthe tubes the hollow plug J is used.

" lhe opening 7- -takes oli' the greater 'part of the pressure of the' vsteam and waterv from the end of the plug, and thus admits ot' its beingeasilydriveu into the end of 'the tube.

The steam and water esca-pe through the dis-- charge-opening Z at the upper side of the tube, so as not to endanger the scalding of the person operating the plug.-

. 'Vhatl claim as my invention, and desire yto secure by Letters Patent isl. The bisectedplug O, composed of wedgcshaped In the action 'ofthe rammer the pin d' is broken!- paits a b, constructed substantially as described, and temporarily held together by pins (Z and el', the piece v a being providedA with the rods D E, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination ofthe adjustable mm G with the rod H, substzmtiallyfas and for the purpose speci- 3. The hollow plug J, when constructed, arranged,

and operating with the tubo A, snbstantizillyin the manner and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony'that the above is my invention I have hereunto set my hand 'and :iixed my seal this 23d day of December, 1870.

Witnesses; THOMAS LA BLANC. [11. s.)

STEPHEN USTIGK, THOMAS J. BEWLEY. 

